Vehicle body upper structure

ABSTRACT

The vehicle body upper structure includes a rear roof rail, a retractor, a webbing, and an anchor. The rear roof rail extends along a roof panel of the vehicle body. The retractor is housed inside the rear roof rail and is fixed to the rear roof rail with a first fastening bolt. For example, the webbing is pulled out in a pull-out direction orthogonal to an axis of the first fastening bolt. A through ring changes a stretching direction of the webbing that restrains an occupant with the webbing to have an acute angle with respect to the pull-out direction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-003414,filed in Japan on Jan. 13, 2021, the entire content of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a vehicle body upper structure.

Description of Related Art

As a vehicle body upper structure, for example, a structure is known inwhich, in an upper portion of a rear pillar, a retractor capable ofwinding up and pulling out a seat belt (that is, a webbing) is attachedtoward a vehicle interior on a surface (an inner surface) facing thevehicle interior. This retractor, for example, supports, in a rear seat,a webbing for restraining a central occupant seated in line with threeoccupants in a vehicle width direction so that the webbing can be woundup and pulled out (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 5485126).

As a vehicle body upper structure, for example, a structure in which aretractor is provided inside a gate upper portion of a lift gate isknown. This retractor, for example, supports, in a rear seat, a webbingfor restraining a central occupant seated in line with three occupantsin a vehicle width direction so that the webbing can be wound up andpulled out (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 5477536).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, in the retractor disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5485126, inthe upper portion of the rear pillar, the retractor is attached towardthe vehicle interior on the inner surface facing the vehicle interior.For this reason, for example, it is conceivable that the retractorprotrudes so as to protrude toward the vehicle interior to narrow aspace of the vehicle interior (hereinafter, it may be referred to as avehicle interior space).

In the retractor of Japanese Patent No. 5477536, the retractor isprovided inside the gate upper portion of the lift gate. Here, forexample, when an occupant is restrained and protected by the webbing, arelatively large load acts on the retractor from the webbing. Therefore,for example, it is necessary to reinforce a mounting portion of theretractor in the gate upper portion to support the retractor. Therefore,for example, it is conceivable that weight of the mounting portion ofthe retractor increases by reinforcing the mounting portion.

Aspects of the present invention have been made in view of suchcircumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle body upperstructure that can secure a large vehicle interior space without beingaffected by a retractor and can further reduce reinforcement and weightof a retractor mounting portion for mounting the retractor.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the presentinvention adopts the following aspects.

(1) A vehicle body upper structure according to an aspect of the presentinvention includes: a rear roof rail extending along a roof panel of avehicle body; a retractor housed inside the rear roof rail and fixed tothe rear roof rail by a mounting member; a seat belt capable of pullingout in a pull-out direction intersecting an axis of the mounting member;and a through ring configured to change a stretching direction of theseat belt that restrains an occupant with the seat belt to have an acuteangle with respect to the pull-out direction.

According to the above aspect (1), the retractor is housed inside therear roof rail, and the retractor is fixed to the rear roof rail by themounting member. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the retractor fromprotruding so as to protrude into a vehicle interior space. This makesit possible to secure a large vehicle interior space without beingaffected by the retractor.

Here, the rear roof rail is a member having high rigidity and strengththat forms a rear framework of a roof. Further, the seat belt pulled outfrom the retractor can be pulled out in the pull-out directionintersecting the axis of the mounting member. That is, the pull-outdirection of the seat belt can be a shearing direction intersecting theaxis of the mounting member. Therefore, for example, it is possible toincrease strength and rigidity of the rear roof rail against a loadacting on the rear roof rail from the mounting member. As a result, itis possible to reduce reinforcement and weight of a retractor mountingportion for mounting the retractor on the rear roof rail by the mountingmember.

In addition, the stretching direction of the seat belt that restrainsthe occupant is changed to have the acute angle with respect to thepull-out direction by the through ring. Therefore, in a belt load actingon the rear roof rail via the through ring by the seat belt restrainingthe occupant, a first component force (vertical component) orthogonal tothe rear roof rail can be made larger than a second component force(horizontal component) along the rear roof rail. In other words, thesecond component force along the rear roof rail can be made smaller thanthe first component force orthogonal to the rear roof rail.

Hereinafter, the belt load acting on the rear roof rail via the throughring by the seat belt restraining the occupant may be referred to as a“belt stretching load”, the first component force may be referred to asa “large first component force”, and the second component force may bereferred to as a “small second component force”.

That is, the belt stretching load can be dispersed into the large firstcomponent force received by the rear roof rail and the small secondcomponent force received by the retractor. The large first componentforce can be supported by the rear roof rail. The small second componentforce acts on the retractor mounting portion via the retractor and themounting member. Therefore, the load acting on the retractor mountingportion via the retractor and the mounting member can be reduced.Accordingly, the reinforcement and weight of the retractor mountingportion can be further reduced.

(2) In the above aspect (1), a bracket configured to couple theretractor and the through ring may be provided.

According to the above aspect (2), the retractor and the through ringare coupled by the bracket. Therefore, a part of the small secondcomponent force along the rear roof rail can be handled and supported bythe bracket. As a result, for example, it is not necessary to increasethe strength and rigidity of the retractor mounting portion of the rearroof rail more than necessary by reinforcement, and it is possible tofurther reduce the reinforcement and weight of the retractor mountingportion.

Further, the retractor and the through ring can be assembled to the rearroof rail in a state of being integrally coupled by the bracket. Thus,workability of assembling the retractor and the through ring (that is, aseat belt device) can be improved.

(3) In the above aspect (2), the bracket may include one end to whichthe through ring is attached by a through ring mounting member andanother end to which the retractor is attached, and the another end sidemay be wider than the one end side.

According to the above aspect (3), the retractor is attached to the wideother end with the another end of the bracket wider than the one endthereof. The through ring is attached to the one end of the bracket bythe through ring mounting member. That is, the small second componentforce along the rear roof rail can be transmitted to the one end of thebracket via the through ring mounting member. Therefore, the smallsecond component force along the rear roof rail can be more favorablydispersed toward the bracket. As a result, the one end side of thebracket can be made narrower than the another end side, and the bracketcan be made lightweight.

(4) In the above aspect (2), the bracket may extend in the vehicle widthdirection along the rear roof rail and include a fastening hole intowhich a fastening member that attaches the bracket to the rear roof railis able to be inserted, and the fastening hole may be located betweenthe through ring and the retractor in the vehicle width direction.According to the above aspect (4), the fastening hole is formed in thebracket, and the bracket is attached to the rear roof rail by thefastening member inserted into the fastening hole. Further, thisfastening hole is disposed between the through ring and the retractor.As a result, for example, even when the through ring and the retractorare largely separated to some extent, the fastening member can suppressfluttering of the bracket due to vehicle body vibration or a load actingfrom the seat belt.

(5) In the above aspect (4), the bracket may have one end to which thethrough ring is attached by a through ring mounting member, another endto which the retractor is attached, and a wide portion wider than theone end from the one end to the fastening hole and from the fasteninghole to the another end.

According to the above aspect (5), the bracket has the one end, the wideportion, and the another end, and the wide portion is formed to be widerthan the one end from the one end to the fastening hole and from thefastening hole to the another end. Therefore, for example, the fasteninghole into which the fastening member can be inserted can be formed inthe wide portion. As a result, in the bracket, a periphery of afastening portion attached to the rear roof rail by the fastening member(that is, a periphery of the fastening hole) can be reinforced by thewide portion.

Therefore, for example, it is possible to enhance strength and rigidityof the bracket against a force applied in a direction in which thebracket is separated from the rear roof rail by vehicle body vibrationor a load acting from the seat belt.

(6) In the above aspect (5), the wide portion may include an endlessbead surrounding the fastening hole.

Here, for example, by providing the fastening hole in the wide portion,strength and rigidity of the periphery of the fastening hole can besuppressed to be low. Therefore, in the above aspect (6), the endlessbead is formed in the wide portion of the bracket, and the fasteninghole is surrounded by the bead. Accordingly, the strength and rigidityof the periphery of the fastening hole can be ensured by the endlessbead.

(7) In the above aspect (1), the rear roof rail may be supported by arear pillar, the rear roof rail may have an end on an outer side in avehicle width direction overlapped with an upper end of the rear pillar,and the through ring may be attached to a portion where the upper endand the end are overlapped with each other by a through ring mountingmember.

According to the aspect (7), the end of the rear roof rail is overlappedwith the upper end of the rear pillar to ensure high strength andrigidity of the overlapped portion. Further, the through ring isattached to the overlapped portion by the through ring mounting member.Therefore, in the belt stretching load, the large first component forceorthogonal to the rear roof rail can be handled and supported by theoverlapped portion.

As a result, for example, it is not necessary to increase the strengthand rigidity of the portion to which the through ring is attached (thatis, the overlapped portion and a periphery of the overlapped portion)more than necessary by reinforcement, and an increase in weight due tothe reinforcement can be suppressed.

According to the aspects of the present invention, it is possible tosecure a large vehicle interior space without being affected by theretractor, and it is possible to reduce reinforcement and weight of theretractor mounting portion to which the retractor is attached.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle body upper structure accordingto an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a vehicleinterior side;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a state in which a seat belt device isprovided on a rear roof rail of the vehicle body upper structureaccording to the embodiment as viewed from the vehicle interior side;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle body upperstructure in

FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the seat belt device according to theembodiment as viewed from below;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a bracket and an escutcheon of the seatbelt device illustrated in FIG. 5 as viewed from below;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the bracket and the escutcheonin FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the bracket according to the embodimentas viewed from above; and

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the bracket in FIG. 8 as viewed from above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a vehicle body upper structure 10 according to anembodiment of the present invention will be described with reference tothe drawings. In the drawings, an arrow FR indicates the front of thevehicle, an arrow UP indicates an upper side of the vehicle, and anarrow LH indicates a left side of the vehicle. The use, type, and thelike of the vehicle are not particularly limited, but an automobile willbe described as an example as the embodiment. A vehicle body upperstructure 10 is a structure formed substantially symmetrically. Aconfiguration on a right side will be described below, and descriptionof a configuration on the left side will be omitted.

<Vehicle>

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a vehicle Ve includes, for example, thevehicle body upper structure 10 constituting an upper portion of avehicle body, a rear pillar (quarter pillar) 12 supporting the vehiclebody upper structure 10, and a seat 15 for three persons provided at arear portion of a vehicle interior 14.

The vehicle body upper structure 10 (including a seat belt device 50),the rear pillar 12, and the like are covered with an interior garnish 21from the vehicle interior 14 side. In the vehicle body upper structure10, an anchor (that is, a through ring) 53 of the seat belt device 50 tobe described later protrudes from the garnish 21 toward the vehicleinterior 14. A webbing (that is, a seat belt) 54 is inserted in a secondguide hole 55 of the anchor 53.

<Seat for Three Persons>

The seat 15 for three persons is a rear seat provided in a third rowfrom the front of the vehicle body toward the rear of the vehicle body.The seat 15 for three persons includes a right seat 16, a left seat (notshown), and a center seat 17 on which three persons can sit side by sidein a vehicle width direction. The right seat 16 and the left seat areprovided on a right outer side and a left outer side in the vehiclewidth direction. In each of the right seat 16 and the left seat, aheadrest 19 is attached to an upper portion 18 a of a seat back 18 (aseat back and a headrest of the left seat are not illustrated). Thecenter seat 17 is provided between the right seat 16 and the left seatat the center in the vehicle width direction.

<Rear Pillar>

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rear pillar 12 is raised upwardfrom a rear end of a rear frame (not illustrated). The rear frame is,for example, a member having high rigidity which is formed in arectangular closed cross section and forms a part of a framework in alower portion of the vehicle body. The rear pillar 12 is, for example, amember having high rigidity which is formed in a rectangular closedcross section by an outer panel (not illustrated) and an inner panel 22and forms a part of a framework in a rear portion of the vehicle body.

For example, a right rear end of the vehicle body upper structure 10(that is, an outer end 27 a of a rear roof rail 27 to be describedlater) is joined to an upper end 12 a of the rear pillar 12.

<Vehicle Body Upper Structure>

The vehicle body upper structure 10 includes, for example, a roof 25 andthe seat belt device 50. The roof 25 includes, for example, a roof panel26 and the rear roof rail 27. The roof panel 26 is disposed above thevehicle interior 14 (that is, above the rear pillar 12), and is formedin a substantially rectangular shape in plan view.

The rear roof rail 27 is bridged between the upper ends 12 a (only theright upper end is illustrated) of the rear pillar 12 provided on theright outer side in the vehicle width direction and a rear pillarprovided on the left outer side in the vehicle width direction (notillustrated). The rear roof rail 27 is disposed above the seat 15 forthree persons in a state of being supported by the rear pillar 12 on theright outer side and the rear pillar on the left outer side.

Specifically, the rear roof rail 27 includes, for example, a rail bottom31, a rail front wall 32, a front rail flange 33, and a rear rail flange34.

The rail bottom 31 is disposed on the vehicle interior 14 side withrespect to the roof panel 26, and extends substantially horizontallyalong a rear end 26 a of the roof panel 26. The rail front wall 32 israised substantially vertically from a front side of the rail bottom 31toward an upper side (the rear end 26 a of the roof panel 26). The frontrail flange 33 protrudes from an upper side of the rail front wall 32toward the front of the vehicle body. The rear rail flange 34 protrudesfrom a rear side of the rail bottom 31 toward the rear of the vehiclebody.

The front rail flange 33 and the rear rail flange 34 are joined to therear end 26 a of the roof panel 26 from the vehicle interior 14 side. Inthis state, the rear roof rail 27 is provided to protrude toward thevehicle interior 14 in the rear end 26 a of the roof panel 26, andextends along the rear end 26 a of the roof panel 26 in the vehiclewidth direction. The rear roof rail 27 is a member having high rigiditythat forms a rear framework of the roof 25.

Here, a rectangular closed cross section is formed by the rear roof rail27 and the rear end 26 a of the roof panel 26. The rear roof rail 27has, for example, the rectangular closed cross section to ensurestrength and rigidity. This rectangular closed cross section forms aninternal space 36 in which the seat belt device 50 to be described latercan be housed.

Hereinafter, the rectangular closed cross section formed by the rearroof rail 27 and the rear end 26 a of the roof panel 26 may be referredto as a “roof rail closed cross section”, and the internal space 36formed by the roof rail closed cross section may be referred to as a“roof rail internal space 36”.

The rear roof rail 27 has an outer end on the outer side in the vehiclewidth direction (an end on an outer side in the vehicle width direction)27 a. The outer end 27 a overlaps an upper end 22 a of the inner panel22 in the rear pillar 12 from above (that is, the roof panel 26 side).

Specifically, the rail bottom 31 of the outer end 27 a overlaps an upperend 41 a of an inner wall 41 in the inner panel 22 from above.Hereinafter, a portion 42 where the rail bottom 31 of the outer end 27 aand the upper end 41 a of the inner wall 41 in the inner panel 22 areoverlapped may be referred to as a “rail bottom overlapped portion 42”.

The rail front wall 32 of the outer end 27 a overlaps an upper end 43 aof a front wall 43 in the inner panel 22 from the rear of the vehiclebody. The front rail flange 33 of the outer end 27 a overlaps an upperend 44 a of a front flange 44 in the inner panel 22 from above. The rearrail flange 34 of the outer end 27 a overlaps an upper end 45 a of arear flange 45 in the inner panel 22 from above.

<Seat Belt Device>

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4, in the seat belt device 50, mainconstituent members are provided in a portion of the rear roof rail 27closer to the outer end 27 a. In the seat belt device 50, for example, aretractor 51 and the like as the main constituent members are disposedabove the center seat 17 of the seat 15 for three persons (see FIG. 1).The seat belt device 50 is, for example, a device that restrains anoccupant seated on the center seat 17 of the seat 15 for three persons.

Specifically, the seat belt device 50 includes, for example, theretractor 51, a bracket 52, the anchor (through ring) 53, and thewebbing (seat belt) 54.

(Retractor)

As illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, for example, the retractor 51 issupported by a support portion 27 b of the rear roof rail 27 above thecenter seat 17 of the seat 15 for three persons (see FIG. 1). Theretractor 51 includes, for example, a retractor main body 56 and aretractor bracket 57.

The retractor main body 56 is housed in the roof rail internal space 36(that is, the inside of the rear roof rail 27) at the support portion 27b of the rear roof rail 27. The retractor main body 56 includes, forexample, a casing 58 and a belt winding drum (not illustrated). The beltwinding drum is housed inside the casing 58 and is rotatably supportedby the casing 58 via a winding shaft 59. A base end (not illustrated) ofthe webbing 54 is coupled to the belt winding drum, and the webbing 54is wound around the belt winding drum.

The retractor main body 56 is housed in the roof rail internal space 36through an opening 62 of the support portion 27 b in a state where thewinding shaft 59 is disposed in a front-rear direction of the vehiclebody. In this state, a lower end 58 a of the casing 58 is exposed fromthe opening 62 toward the vehicle interior 14. A base end 57 a of theretractor bracket 57 is attached to an end 58 b of the lower end 58 a ofthe casing 58 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction withrespect to the winding shaft 59 with a plurality of (two in theembodiment) first mounting bolts (mounting members) 65 from the vehicleinterior 14 side.

In the embodiment, two first mounting bolts 65 are exemplified, but thepresent invention is not limited thereto. In the embodiment, the firstmounting bolt 65 is exemplified as the mounting member, but anothermounting member such as a rivet may be used.

The retractor bracket 57 protrudes inward in the vehicle width directionalong the rail bottom 31 of the rear roof rail 27. In the retractorbracket 57, a distal end 57 b is fixed to a retractor mounting portion31 a of the rear roof rail 27 (specifically, the rail bottom 31) by afirst fastening bolt (mounting member) 67.

A base end 52 a of the bracket 52 is attached to an end 58 c of thelower end 58 a of the casing 58 on the outer side in the vehicle widthdirection with respect to the winding shaft 59. The end 58 c of thelower end 58 a of the casing 58 on the outer side in the vehicle widthdirection with respect to the winding shaft 59 may be hereinafterreferred to as a “casing end 58 c”.

(Bracket)

As illustrated in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, the bracket 52 extends outward inthe vehicle width direction (specifically, the right outer side) fromthe retractor 51 along the rail bottom 31 of the rear roof rail 27. Thebracket 52 has, for example, the base end (another end) 52 a, anextending portion 72, and a distal end (one end) 52 b.

The base end 52 a is attached to the casing end 58 c with a plurality of(two in the embodiment) second mounting bolts (mounting members) 73 (seealso FIG. 5) from the vehicle interior 14 side. That is, the retractor51 is attached to the base end 52 a of the bracket 52.

In the embodiment, two second mounting bolts 73 are exemplified, but thepresent invention is not limited thereto. In the embodiment, the secondmounting bolt 73 is exemplified as the mounting member, but anothermounting member such as a rivet may be used.

The extending portion 72 extends outward in the vehicle width directionfrom an outer side of the base end 52 a on the outer side in the vehiclewidth direction along the rail bottom 31 of the rear roof rail 27. Theextending portion 72 includes an upright portion 75, a wide portion 76,and a coupling portion 77. The upright portion 75 is raised upward alongan outer wall 58 d of the casing 58 from the outer side of the base end52 a on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. A cross opening78 is formed at an intersection of the base end 52 a and the uprightportion 75.

An escutcheon 81 into which the webbing 54 to be described later isslidably inserted is attached to the cross opening 78. The escutcheon 81is formed of, for example, a resin material, and has a first guide hole82 through which the webbing 54 can smoothly slide.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4, 8, and 9, the wide portion 76 extends in aninclined manner such that both sides 76 a approach each other as thewide portion 76 extends from an upper side 75 a of the upright portion75 outward in the vehicle width direction (that is, the coupling portion77). The wide portion 76 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shapeor a triangular shape such that a width W gradually decreases from theupright portion 75 toward the coupling portion 77. In other words, thewide portion 76 is formed to be gradually wider from the couplingportion 77 toward the upright portion 75.

The wide portion 76 has a first fastening hole (fastening hole) 85 and abead 86. The first fastening hole 85 is formed at the center in thewidth direction of the wide portion 76 (that is, the center in thefront-rear direction of the vehicle body) and at a portion near theupright portion 75. The first fastening hole 85 is opened in a verticaldirection so that a second fastening bolt (fastening member) 88 can beinserted thereinto. Further, the first fastening hole 85 is locatedbetween the anchor 53 to be described later and the retractor 51 in thevehicle width direction.

The second fastening bolt 88 is inserted into the first fastening hole85 and fastened to the rail bottom 31 of the rear roof rail 27.Accordingly, the wide portion 76 (that is, the bracket 52) is fixed tothe rail bottom 31 by the second fastening bolt 88. In the embodiment,the second fastening bolt 88 is exemplified as the fastening member, butanother fastening member such as a rivet may be used.

As described above, the retractor bracket 57 is fixed to the retractormounting portion 31 a by the first fastening bolt 67. Accordingly, theretractor main body 56 is fixed to the rear roof rail 27 (specifically,the rail bottom 31) by the first fastening bolt 67 and the secondfastening bolt 88 in a state where the retractor main body 56 is housedin the roof rail internal space 36.

The bead 86 is formed in an endless shape (generally a triangular orannular shape) so as to surround the first fastening hole 85 along bothsides 76 a of the wide portion 76 and the upright portion 75, forexample. The bead 86 is raised upward from a main body of the wideportion 76. Therefore, the wide portion 76 is reinforced by the bead 86.

For example, the coupling portion 77 extends along the rail bottom 31 ofthe rear roof rail 27 from a wide outer end 76 b on the outer side inthe vehicle width direction of the wide portion 76 to the distal end 52b. The coupling portion 77 is formed to have the same constant width asthe wide outer end 76 b, for example. An extending bead 89 is formedalong both sides 77 a of the coupling portion 77 and both sides 76 a ofthe wide portion 76. The extending bead 89 bulges downward. The couplingportion 77 and the wide portion 76 are reinforced by the extending bead89.

The distal end 52 b is formed at a coupling outer end 77 b on the outerside in the vehicle width direction (specifically, the right outer side)of the coupling portion 77. The distal end 52 b has, for example, anouter shape formed in a substantially arc shape, and is disposed alongthe rail bottom overlapped portion 42 (specifically, the upper end 41 aof the inner wall 41 in the inner panel 22 of the rear pillar 12).

The distal end 52 b has, for example, a second fastening hole 91 formedat the center. The second fastening hole 91 is opened in the verticaldirection so that an anchor bolt (through ring mounting member) 92 canbe inserted thereinto. In the embodiment, the anchor bolt 92 isexemplified as the through ring mounting member, but another throughring mounting member such as a rivet may be used.

As described above, the bracket 52 has the wide portion 76 wider thanthe distal end 52 b over a range L1 from the distal end 52 b to thefirst fastening hole 85 and a range L2 from the first fastening hole 85to the base end 52 a. That is, the bracket 52 is formed such that thebase end 52 a side is wider than the distal end 52 b side.

The bracket 52 has the distal end 52 b. The anchor 53 is overlapped onthe distal end 52 b from the vehicle interior 14 side. In this state,the distal end 52 b is attached to the rail bottom overlapped portion 42together with the anchor 53 by the anchor bolt 92.

(Anchor)

The anchor 53 is attached to the rail bottom overlapped portion 42together with the distal end 52 b with the anchor bolt 92, whereby theanchor 53 and the retractor 51 are coupled (connected) by the bracket52. In the anchor 53, the second guide hole 55 into which the webbing 54can be inserted is made of a resin material. The second guide hole 55 ismade of the resin material, so that the webbing 54 is smoothly slidablyinserted into the second guide hole 55.

(Webbing)

The webbing 54 is drawn out from the second guide hole 55 of the anchor53, and a first tongue (not illustrated) is attached to a distal end ofthe drawn webbing 54. Between the anchor 53 and the first tongue, asecond tongue (not illustrated) is slidably fitted in the middle of thewebbing 54.

The first tongue is detachably locked to, for example, a right buckle(not illustrated) of the center seat 17 (see FIG. 1). The second tongueis detachably locked to, for example, a left buckle (not illustrated) ofthe center seat 17. In this state, a chest of an occupant seated on thecenter seat 17 can be restrained by the webbing 54 between the anchor 53and the second tongue. A waist of the occupant seated on the center seat17 can be restrained by the webbing 54 between the first tongue and thesecond tongue. Therefore, the webbing 54 of the seat belt device 50 canrestrain the occupant seated on the center seat 17.

In this state, the webbing 54 is stretched in a state of being pulledout from the first guide hole 82 of the escutcheon 81 in a pull-outdirection (shearing direction) along the rail bottom 31 of the rear roofrail 27, as indicated by an arrow A. In other words, the webbing 54pulled out from the first guide hole 82 as indicated by the arrow A isdisposed along the rail bottom 31 of the rear roof rail 27 between thefirst guide hole 82 of the escutcheon 81 and the second guide hole 55 ofthe anchor 53. The pull-out direction (that is, an arrow A direction) isa direction intersecting (in the embodiment, for example, orthogonal orsubstantially orthogonal to) an axis 68 of the first fastening bolt 67.

Hereinafter, the webbing 54 pulled out in the pull-out direction betweenthe first guide hole 82 and the second guide hole 55 may be referred toas a “first webbing 54A”.

In a state where the chest of the occupant is restrained by the webbing54 between the anchor 53 and the second tongue, the webbing 54 is pulledout in a state of being stretched from the second guide hole 55 of theanchor 53. The webbing 54 pulled out from the second guide hole 55 asindicated by an arrow B is stretched in a stretching direction (that is,an arrow B direction) inclined at an acute angle θ with respect to thefirst webbing 54A between the second guide hole 55 and the secondtongue. Hereinafter, the webbing 54 between the second guide hole 55 andthe second tongue may be referred to as a “second webbing 54B”.

As described above, the anchor 53 is disposed so as to change thestretching direction (the arrow B direction) of the second webbing MBthat restrains the occupant in the center seat 17 by the webbing 54 tohave the acute angle θ with respect to the pull-out direction (the arrowA direction) of the first webbing 54A.

As described above, according to the vehicle body upper structure 10 ofthe embodiment, the retractor main body 56 is housed in the internalspace 36 of the rear roof rail as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. Further,the retractor 51 is fixed to the rear roof rail 27 with the firstfastening bolt 67 and the second fastening bolt 88. Therefore, it ispossible to prevent the retractor 51 from protruding so as to protrudeinto a space of the vehicle interior 14 (that is, a vehicle interiorspace). As a result, it is possible to secure a large vehicle interiorspace of the vehicle Ve without being affected by the retractor 51.

Here, the rear roof rail 27 is a member having high rigidity andstrength that forms the rear framework of the roof 25. Further, thefirst webbing 54A pulled out from the first guide hole 82 of theescutcheon 81 in the retractor 51 can be pulled out in the pull-outdirection (the arrow A direction) orthogonal or substantially orthogonalto the axis 68 of the first fastening bolt 67. That is, the pull-outdirection of the first webbing 54A can be a shearing directionorthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the axis 68 of the firstfastening bolt 67.

Therefore, for example, it is possible to increase strength and rigidityof the rear roof rail 27 against a load F1 acting on the rear roof rail27 from the first fastening bolt 67. As a result, it is possible toreduce reinforcement and weight of the retractor mounting portion 31 afor mounting the retractor 51 to the rear roof rail 27 with the firstfastening bolt 67.

In addition, the stretching direction (the arrow B direction) of thesecond webbing 54B that restrains the occupant seated on the center seat17 (see FIG. 1) is changed to have the acute angle θ with respect to thepull-out direction (the arrow A direction) by the anchor 53.

Here, a reaction force F3 of a webbing load (belt load) F2 acting on therear roof rail 27 via the anchor 53, the anchor bolt 92, and the likeacts by the second webbing 54B restraining the occupant. In thisreaction force F3, a first component force (vertical component) F4orthogonal to the rear roof rail 27 can be made larger than a secondcomponent force (horizontal component) F5 along the rear roof rail 27.In other words, the second component force F5 along the rear roof rail27 can be made smaller than the first component force F4 orthogonal tothe rear roof rail 27.

Hereinafter, the belt load F2 acting on the rear roof rail 27 by thesecond webbing 54B restraining the occupant via the anchor 53, theanchor bolt 92, and the like may be referred to as a “belt stretchingload F2”, the first component force F4 may be referred to as a “largefirst component force F4”, and the second component force F5 may bereferred to as a “small second component force F5”.

That is, the belt stretching load F2 can be dispersed into the largefirst component force F4 received by the rear roof rail 27 and the smallsecond component force F5 received by the retractor 51. The large firstcomponent force F4 can be supported by the rear roof rail 27. The smallsecond component force F5 acts on the retractor mounting portion 31 avia the retractor 51 and the first fastening bolt 67. Therefore, it ispossible to reduce a load acting on the retractor mounting portion 31 avia the retractor 51 and the first fastening bolt 67 (that is, the smallsecond component force F5). Accordingly, reinforcement and weight of theretractor mounting portion 31 a can be further reduced.

The retractor 51 and the anchor 53 are coupled by the bracket 52.Therefore, a part of the small second component force F5 along the rearroof rail 27 can be handled and supported by the bracket 52. As aresult, for example, it is not necessary to increase strength andrigidity of the retractor mounting portion 31 a of the rear roof rail 27more than necessary by reinforcement, and it is possible to furtherreduce reinforcement and weight of the retractor mounting portion 31 a.

Further, the retractor 51 and the anchor 53 can be assembled to the rearroof rail 27 in a state of being integrally coupled by the bracket 52.Thus, workability of assembling the retractor 51 and the anchor 53 (thatis, the seat belt device 50) can be improved.

Further, the retractor 51 is attached to the wide base end 52 a with thebase end 52 a of the bracket 52 wider than the distal end 52 b thereof.The anchor 53 is attached to the distal end 52 b of the bracket 52 withthe anchor bolt 92. Therefore, the small second component force F5 alongthe rear roof rail 27 can be transmitted to the distal end 52 b of thebracket 52 via the anchor bolt 92. Therefore, the small second componentforce F5 along the rear roof rail 27 can be more favorably dispersedtoward the bracket 52. As a result, the distal end 52 b side of thebracket 52 can be made narrower than the base end 52 a side, and thebracket 52 can be made lightweight.

In addition, the first fastening hole 85 is formed in the bracket 52,and the bracket 52 is attached to the rear roof rail 27 with the secondfastening bolt 88 inserted into the first fastening hole 85. Further,this first fastening hole 85 is disposed between the anchor 53 and theretractor 51. As a result, for example, even when the anchor 53 and theretractor 51 are largely separated to some extent, the second fasteningbolt 88 can suppress vertical fluttering of the bracket 52 due to, forexample, vehicle body vibration or a load acting from the first webbing54A.

The wide portion 76 is formed in the bracket 52. Therefore, the wideportion 76 of the bracket 52 is formed wider than the distal end 52 bover the range L1 from the distal end 52 b to the first fastening hole85 and the range L2 from the first fastening hole 85 to the base end 52a. Thus, for example, the first fastening hole 85 into which the secondfastening bolt 88 can be inserted can be formed in the wide portion 76.Therefore, in the bracket 52, a periphery of a fastening portion 76 cattached to the rear roof rail 27 by the second fastening bolt 88 (thatis, a periphery of the first fastening hole 85) can be reinforced by thewide portion 76.

Therefore, for example, strength and rigidity of the bracket 52 againsta force applied in the direction in which the bracket 52 is separatedfrom the rear roof rail 27 (for example, the vertical direction) byvehicle body vibration or a load acting from the webbing 54 can beenhanced.

Here, for example, by providing the first fastening hole 85 in the wideportion 76, strength and rigidity of the periphery of the firstfastening hole 85 can be suppressed to be low. Therefore, the endlessbead 86 is formed in the wide portion 76 of the bracket 52, and thefirst fastening hole 85 is surrounded by the bead 86. As a result, thestrength and rigidity of the periphery of the first fastening hole 85can be secured by the endless bead 86.

Further, the outer end 27 a of the rear roof rail 27 is overlapped withthe upper end 12 a of the rear pillar 12 to ensure high strength andrigidity of the overlapped rail bottom overlapped portion 42. Further,the anchor 53 is attached to the rail bottom overlapped portion 42 withthe anchor bolt 92. Therefore, the large first component force F4orthogonal to the rear roof rail 27 in the belt stretching load F2 canbe handled and supported by the rail bottom overlapped portion 42.

As a result, for example, it is not necessary to increase the strengthand rigidity of the rail bottom overlapped portion 42 to which theanchor 53 is attached and a periphery of the rail bottom overlappedportion 42 more than necessary by reinforcement, and an increase inweight due to the reinforcement can be suppressed.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the aboveembodiments, and various modifications can be made without departingfrom the gist of the present invention.

In addition, it is possible to appropriately replace the constituentelements in the embodiment with well-known constituent elements withoutdeparting from the gist of the present invention, and theabove-described modifications may be appropriately combined.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle body upper structure comprising: a rearroof rail extending along a roof panel of a vehicle body; a retractorhoused inside the rear roof rail and fixed to the rear roof rail by amounting member; a seat belt capable of pulling out in a pull-outdirection intersecting an axis of the mounting member; and a throughring configured to change a stretching direction of the seat belt thatrestrains an occupant with the seat belt to have an acute angle withrespect to the pull-out direction.
 2. The vehicle body upper structureaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a bracket configured to couplethe retractor and the through ring.
 3. The vehicle body upper structureaccording to claim 2, wherein the bracket includes one end to which thethrough ring is attached by a through ring mounting member and anotherend to which the retractor is attached, and the another end side iswider than the one end side.
 4. The vehicle body upper structureaccording to claim 2, wherein the bracket extends in a vehicle widthdirection along the rear roof rail and includes a fastening hole intowhich a fastening member that attaches the bracket to the rear roof railis able to be inserted, and the fastening hole is located between thethrough ring and the retractor in the vehicle width direction.
 5. Thevehicle body upper structure according to claim 4, wherein the bracketincludes one end to which the through ring is attached by a through ringmounting member and another end to which the retractor is attached, anda wide portion wider than the one end from the one end to the fasteninghole and from the fastening hole to the another end.
 6. The vehicle bodyupper structure according to claim 5, wherein the wide portion includesan endless bead surrounding the fastening hole.
 7. The vehicle bodyupper structure according to claim 1, wherein the rear roof rail issupported by a rear pillar, the rear roof rail has an end on an outerside in a vehicle width direction overlapped with an upper end of therear pillar, and the through ring is attached to a portion where theupper end and the end overlap with each other by a through ring mountingmember.